Rod Handley, Founder and
President of Character That Counts
Character Counts:
Count On It!!
As I’ve traveled the country the last fifteen years,
I’ve attentively listened to people speak on the
importance of character. By reading only public opinion
polls, it’s hard to determine if character truly matters
anymore. Does character count? I propose that it does
and that society will place a higher premium on
character in the upcoming years. We see indicators of
this as moral issues gain greater emphasis during
political elections, in the media, from the pulpits and
on the talk shows. There is even a resurgence of
teaching character within the public school system.
It has been said that ability may get you to the top,
but character keeps you there. A person of character is
marked by notable and conspicuous traits. Character
cannot be purchased. It’s a quality of life lived.
Horace Greeley said it this way, “Fame is a vapor.
Popularity is an accident. Money takes wings. Those who
cheer you today will curse you tomorrow. The only thing
that endures is character.”
I’m greatly concerned that character is lacking in
society, especially when it involves believers. There
are numerous studies which indicate that Christians are
as likely as non-Christians to falsify tax returns, to
plagiarize, bribe, shift blame, ignore construction
specifications, illegally copy software, steal from the
workplace and to selectively obey the laws of the land.
Many believers have convinced themselves that their
actions are justified, even though they are questionable
and/or inappropriate.
For example, our local newspaper reported about a man
who claimed to have cancer. Apparently he was good at
faking seizures and had shaved his head to show the
effects of chemotherapy. What got my attention was that
this individual was a deacon in his church, and his
congregation had given a significant amount of money to
help with his “supposed” mounting health bills. What a
shock and disappointment it was for people to discover
his lie.
Character development prior to the 1960s was learned
early in life with a strong sense of right and wrong.
Appropriate behaviors were taught in the homes, schools
and churches. Somewhere we lost it as we moved from
developing internal character to teaching external
appearances of charisma and personality techniques.
Success models were designed to help people achieve
results without impacting one’s deep inner fiber. We
exchanged truth for a lie, and today in America we’re
reaping what we’ve sown with the highest levels of
immorality, drug/alcohol abuse, suicide, abortion,
teenage pregnancy, murder, divorce and pornography in
our nation’s history.
We must be reminded that good old fashioned character is
simply based on Jesus Christ. A desire to emulate our
lives after Him should be the goal of every believer.
When this takes place true character begins to take root
in our hearts and we become authentic. Unless we as
Christians take this first step, we’ll continue to see
deterioration in our society because man-made character
will crumble when faced with adversity and failure,
while character developed and molded through Christ will
stand.
What is character? I believe it is “the will to do right
no matter what the cost or consequences.” True character
development is established over time in multiple
situations and environments, allowing the Holy Spirit to
guide you with the Bible as our standard. Unfortunately,
we have prioritized two things over character:
Achievement (“It is not important what you are, but what
you do”) and fulfillment (“It’s not important on what’s
inside, but what you produce outside”). When achievement
and fulfillment take precedence over character, a new
morality occurs and you can justify pretty much
anything.
Integrity: “Being,”
Not Just “Doing”
Many times “integrity” is substituted for the word
“character” yet I believe they are very different. While
character focuses on right actions and behaviors,
integrity pushes beyond actions and it gets to our soul.
Integrity comes from the Latin word integritas,
which means wholeness, entireness or completeness. The
root word “integer” is used often in math to represent a
whole number, meaning untouched, intact and entire.
Literally, integrity means you have a complete soul.
It’s not synonymous with right behavior, though right
behaviors will often follow, but is more related to the
whole concept of “being” rather than “doing.” You don’t
attain true integrity through a series of behaviors
(doing) but by being internally transformed through a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
God is into making integers; Satan is into making
fractions. God desires to bring people to wholeness,
putting all the pieces together which will ultimately
take place in heaven when we’re united with Him. Satan,
working through the vehicle of sin, tears things apart,
dividing people and bringing confusion and conflict.
Remember, God’s plan will ultimately succeed, and His
universe will one day become one glorious integer (whole
and complete). But until that happens, you and I must
live in a fractional world and experience the problems
that come from fragmentation.
Integrity instilled on the heart is highly prized by
God. In fact, it thrills God when we demonstrate
integrity as noted in Psalm 15. Look at the Lord’s reply
when the psalmist inquires as to what delights a holy
God. The answer is, “He who walks with integrity, and
works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He
does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his
neighbor…He who does these things will never be shaken.”
Integrity is at the heart and core of survival for
nations and individuals. Yet why do so many dismiss it
as merely an option? It is obvious that no one is
perfect, yet the lack of integrity has serious
consequences. The Bible is filled with examples of
people who thought living a life of integrity didn’t
really matter—people like Adam and Eve, Cain, Rueben,
Moses, Aaron’s two sons, Samson, King Saul, Judas
Iscariot, Ananias and Sapphira paid a heavy price when
their integrity waned. Even David, who in Psalm 78:70-72
is described as a man of integrity, lacked it when he
sinned with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah
murdered, resulting in the death of David’s son and a
blood-filled curse.
David’s life reminds us that integrity must continually
be built in our lives through the disciplines of our
faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot place confidence in our
own integrity and relax and become lazy, or we will soon
regress into a fallen state. Ted Engstrom said, “No
matter how much we try to hide our actions, our
integrity (or lack of it) always shows through.”
The Role of
Accountability
In our pursuit of character (doing right) and integrity
(being whole), accountability is a crucial and even
perhaps the final piece of the puzzle to help you fully
become the person of character and integrity God intends
for you to be. Ted Engstrom believes, “Integrity is the
greatest prize of accountability. Accountability starts
with yours truly—with an honest appraisal of who we are,
of what makes us tick.”
Genuine Christians desire to live for Jesus Christ and
obey Him. Yet, temptations are real and powerful, and
our flesh, sin nature and Satan himself constantly
challenge our faith. No person has the ability to always
make the right decisions. Today, our churches and
ministries are littered with examples of men and women
who have had visible public failures, which have
destroyed many loved ones as secret sin was exposed. The
stark reality is that each one of us, including myself,
is capable of falling. We are not exempt from the
possibilities of stumbling, and every Christian needs
accountability in his or her life.
Many people are unwilling to develop close, intimate
friendships or answer to anyone! This is especially true
for those in leadership positions. Such reasons include
lack of time, a desire to maintain privacy, mistrust of
others primarily due to past hurts, a fear of rejection,
a secret pattern of sin and an unwillingness to change
and get help, just to name a few. We are taught to be
autonomous, efficient, goal-oriented, disconnected from
people, unemotional and self-sufficient. But we are
kidding ourselves if we think we can run the Christian
race of faith alone. Scripture shows us clearly that God
designed us to be in relationships with one another.
Certainly there are times when we must walk alone and be
a bright, shining light to the world when possibly no
one else will join us. Yet, we all need a person of
refuge who is committed to helping restore, equip and
teach us to walk in the path God has set before us.
Being accountable is “being responsible and answerable
to someone.” It owns up to past hurts and present
shortcomings by committing to positive change. It begins
with seeing the need to make changes and courage to make
it happen with a new plan of action. Every person needs
protection from self, along with a safety net. Pride is
one of the greatest enemies to this process.
How do I know this is true? Since 1990, I’ve been
blessed to be part of a group of guys who’ve helped me
navigate through many life experiences. They’ve been
instrumental in my growth, and they continue to pray
diligently for me. Now as a husband and father, they are
my advisors, and they keep me on the “straight and
narrow” path. It is a wonderful gift to gather with
people who really love and accept you, will pray for you
and are willing to honestly confront you by asking you
the hard questions. Believe me, my family and
professional career benefits from their input. I eagerly
look forward to our weekly time together because I know
I’ll be sharper and better equipped to fulfill the
calling God has on my life.
